Radio station indicator



Patented Sept. 29, 1925.

UNITED A lsTaTEs EDGAR GABBISON BALLENGER, OF ATLANTA, GEORGIA.

mimo STATION mmca'roa.

Application mea my s, 1925. semi No. 28,912.

To all whom it may concern:

Be 'it known that I, EDGAR G. BALLENGER, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Atlanta, in the county of Fulton and State of Georgia, have invented .a new and Improved Radio Station Indicator, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description. i

This invention relates to a radio station indicator. An object of the invention is to provide a simple and efficient attachment which can be readily applied to any panelboard and connected to the shaft of a tun- -ing element whereby as a portion of the indicator is moved, space for the names of the broadcasting stations will successively appear through a slot in the panelboard as the tuning element is tuned to that particular station.

Another object is to provide this device in the form of an attachment which can be applied to the set without the alteration of any of the parts and can be nveryvreadily removed therefrom.

The invention is illustrated in the draw'- ings, of which- Figure 1 is a front elevation of the device attached to the front of the panelboard;

Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the device with the' cover removed; g

Fig. 3 is a section on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2; and

Fig. 4 is a section on the line 4-4 of Fig. 2. Y

The form of the invention shown in the drawings is a preferred form, although it is understood that modifications in the construction and arrangement of the parts and in-the character of the materials used may be adopted without departing from the spirit of the invention as set forth in the ap ended claim. A

n its general aspect the invention comprises a casing simulating somewhat in appearance a radio tuning dial. Within this casing is disposed a movable strip on which can be listed the names of thevarious radio broadcasting stations. This strip is mounted within the casing to be moved to bring the successive names in front of a slot in the casing. The means for moving thestrip is propelled from outside the casing. This means for operating the strip is also connected by suitable gearing or otherwise to .the shaft of a tuning element forming part of the radio set so that as the strip is moved to successively exhibit the various names through the slot, the radio set is tuned to the particular station which appears in the slot in any particular position of the parts. In vthis manner, therefore, with the point on the list previously indicated, if a person wants station KYW of Chicago, he does not have to remember the wave length or do anything s ecially but' turn the strip by the desire operating means until the name or letters of this particular station appear through the slot.

The preferred form of the invention is shown in the drawings, and is adapted to be attached to a panelboard 10 back of which is mounted a tuning element 11, which may be a condenser, having a shaft 12 extending through an aperture in the panelboard.

Adapted to be disposed against the front of the panelboard 10, and provided with an aperture through .which the shaft' 12 projects, is a casing 13 having a cover plate 14 in which is disposed an opening or slot 15. This casing contains a disk 16 provided, preferably, on its periphery, with a rin of friction material 17 such as rubber. his disk is suitably fastened to the shaft 12 by means of a set Screw 18. This disk or gear is adapted to mesh with a similar but smaller disk or gear; 19 mounted on a shaft 2O journaled in the casing. This shaft 20 is provided with a bevel gear 21l meshing with a bevel gear A22 in a shaft 23 supporting a roller 24. This shaft 23 is journaled in suitable bracket members 25 and 25a suitably fastened to the casing. Another roller 26 is provided with a shaft 27 also journaled in the bracket plates 25 and 25a. Suitably connected to and movable between these rollers is a strip of material 28. on which are listed the names of the various broadcasting 'stations with their wave lengths and call letters. This strip is disposed to be moved irnmediately in back of the slot 15 to exhibit t-he names therethrough.

The rollers are operated'by friction between the flanges 29 and 3() on the rollers and a friction wheel or disk 31 mounted on the shaft 32 having a bevel gear 33 on the end thereof meshin with a bevel gear` 34 on the shaft 35 extending through the cover 14 of the casing and having on its other end a hand wheel 36. The shaft 32 is journaled in a bracket member 25.

In the operation of the device the parts are calibrated so that as the hand wheel 36 is moved the disk 31 moves the rollers and thereby the strip 2Q to exhibit a particular station through the slot 15. The parts are calibrated so that as a articular station is exhibited the shaft 12 o the tuning element 11 has been lmoved so that the set is tuned to that particular station.

It is obvious that the casing and the enclosed parts is a complete self-contained unit, and that it requires no alteration in the ordinar radio assembly-to -attach it to the shaft o a tuning element, whether that element be a condenser, a variable coupler variometer or otherwise. It is 'merely necessary to center the casing with respect to the shaft 12 and fasten the disk 16 thereto, after which the casing can be connected to the panelboard by suitable means such as screws 37.

What I claim is:-

A radio station indicator, which comprises a casing adapted to be fastened to the front of a ,panelboard, said casin simulating a tuning dial and having a s ot in the front surface thereof, a pair of rollers within the casing, a strip supported on and adapted to be moved between said rollers, friction gear disposed between the rollers and contacting therewith, a manually operated device in front of the casin connected to said gear for moving t-he rol ers, a. friction gear within the casing and adapted to be fastened to a tuning shaft projectin through the panelboard into the casing, an a gearing connecting the shaft of one of said rollers to the last-ment-ioned friction gear whereby the movement of the manually operated device will move the strip of material to exhibit the names of t-he stations through the slot and at the same time move the tuning shaft to tune the set to that particular station.

EDGAR GARRISON BALLENGER. 

